“Secluded Valley” Population (Sapadere Köyü): 750
Forty-five km east of Alanya, a road cuts inland heading for the small settlement of Demirtaş. If you take this road and then follow the signs you will come eventually to the Sapadere Kanyon, a smaller and less overdeveloped version of the better-known Saklıkent Kanyon near Fethiye. In 2008 a boardwalk was installed here and visitors can now stroll through the limestone canyon above the water which twists and tumbles over the rocks, occasionally creating sizeable waterfalls with pools at their bottoms which you can reach via ladders for swimming. The path ends at the tallest of the falls. There’s a small admission fee.
For the time being there’s just one tea garden (with toilets) actually inside the canyon although there’s a large restaurant catering for groups at the entrance.
In Sapadere Köyü (village) a more picturesque restaurant is dotted about the old watermill (su değirmeni) which is still functioning. Inside the building you can also see a couple of the mechanical silk-weaving machines that took over from the handlooms that used to be used in local houses. Once used to make stripy cummerbunds for men, these now turn out pretty but entirely decorative scarves for the tourist market.
Uphill from the mill a couple of houses advertise themselves as köy evi (village house) attractions but really they’re just shops aimed at the groups who pass through on jeep safaris or in big buses.
Past Sapadere on the way back you might want to divert to visit the Cüceler Mağarası (Dwarves Cave), 1.5km off the road. Here, too, there is a boardwalk to get visitors to the entrance where steps drop down to a small but very pretty cave full of stalactites and stalagmites. It’s a great improvement on the Damlataş Mağarası in central Alanya although if you’re going to see the Dim Mağarası in adjoining Kestel you might want to give it a miss.
Finally, as you drive back through the village of Çamlıca you should pause to inspect the mosque, completed in 2012. It’s a rare example of decent modern design both inside and out.
Transport info
There is no public transport to Sapadere although it’s a fixture on jeep safaris and coach tours organised from Alanya.
